Details

Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat or prevent malaria, a disease caused by parasites that enter the body through the bite of a mosquito. Hydroxychloroquine is also used to treat symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and discoid or systemic lupus erythematosus. You should not use this medication if you are allergic to hydroxychloroquine, or if you have a history of vision changes or damage to your retina caused by an anti-malaria medication. Hydroxychloroquine should not be used for long-term treatment in children. To make sure hydroxychloroquine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have psoriasis porphyria liver disease alcoholism or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency.

Typical Uses

Hydroxychloroquine is used to prevent or treat malaria infections caused by mosquito bites. It does not work against certain types of malaria (chloroquine-resistant). This medication is also used, usually with other medications, to treat certain auto-immune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis) when other medications have not worked or cannot be used. It belongs to a class of medications known as disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). It can reduce skin problems in lupus and prevent swelling/pain in arthritis, though it is not known exactly how the drug works.

Side Effects

Some people taking this medication over long periods of time or at high doses have developed irreversible damage to the retina of the eye. Stop taking hydroxychloroquine and call your doctor at once if you have trouble focusing, if you see light streaks or flashes in your vision, or if you notice any swelling or colour changes in your eyes. Other side effects of hydroxychloroquine include muscle weakness, twitching, or uncontrolled movement loss of balance or coordination blurred vision, light sensitivity, seeing halos around lights pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding confusion, unusual thoughts or behaviour or seizure (convulsions).

Drug Interactions

• Hydroxychloroquine+auranofin- Using auranofin and hydroxychloroquine is not recommended. Using the drugs together can cause blood disorders and other severe side effects. It is important that you tell your healthcare provider about all other medications that you are using including vitamins and herbs.
• Hydroxychloroquine+deferiprone- Deferiprone can lower white blood cell count, and combining it with other medications that can also affect bone marrow function such as hydroxychloroquine may increase the risk. You may be more likely to develop serious and potentially life-threatening infections as a result.
• Hydroxychloroquine+leflunomide- Using leflunomide together with hydroxychloroquine can increase the risk of side effects that affect your bone marrow function, resulting in low numbers of different types of blood cells. This can make you more likely to develop anaemia, bleeding problems, or infections. Because leflunomide can stay in your blood for a prolonged period after the last dose, interactions with other drugs may occur for some time even after you have stopped taking it.
• Hydroxychloroquine+thioridazine- Using thioridazine together with hydroxychloroquine is not recommended. Combining these medications may increase the blood levels of thioridazine to dangerous levels and cause an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious and potentially life-threatening.

Mechanism of action

Hydroxychloroquine belongs to a class of anti-malarial drugs. It works via multiple mechanisms that include interfering with enzyme activities, inhibition of messenger chemicals (prostaglandins, interleukin-1, and neutrophil superoxide), inhibition of cellular activity (inhibition of polymorphonuclear cell chemotaxis and phagocytosis) that cause inflammation.